A Walk in the Woods
by Osaru Sensei
Summary: Raven is spending Halloween with her extended family. What could possibly go wrong? (MonCon October 2016)


**Yeah, I definitely like this month's theme for /r/RWBY MonCon – Halloween and any character(s) from team RWBY. When our tale begins, one guest in particular is walking towards a home she once knew to celebrate Halloween with her daughter and grandchildren…**

* * *

The black-clad woman walked slowly down the nearly empty dirt road on the island of Patch, the few families still out in the neighbourhood trick-or-treating taking long strides around her, futilely trying to make their children look in any other direction than hers.

The pitch black feathers that made up most of her dress billowed in the wind, in stark contrast to the bone-white bird mask that concealed most of her face. As she arrived at the correct address, she peered up at the house she once called home through the oval eyeholes of her skeletal mask before unlatching the gate and continuing up towards the front door. Knocking three times on the wooden door, she could hear her daughter call out for someone to open the door for her. Seconds later, the door swung open.

"Yes, what can I do fo-GAH!" Taiyang Xiao Long recoiled as he laid eyes on the ghastly apparition standing on his porch. The woman grabbed the large beak of her mask and pivoted it up and away from her face like a visor.

"Relax Tai, it's just me." Tai hurriedly motioned for her to step inside before looking around outside and quickly shutting the door behind them.

"I _know_ that, Raven. But why pick that costume?! You know dust-damned well _what_ it symbolises!" Raven crossed her arms defensively as they walked towards the kitchen where the rest of the Branwen-Xiao Long-Rose family was gathered for the annual Halloween feast.

"An ancient Vacuan war and harvest goddess, yes." Tai met her gaze with a steely glare.

"I was thinking more along the lines of 'warlord who did unspeakable things during the Great War'…" Raven huffed dismissively.

"… And just where did you think _she_ got the inspiration from, hmm?"

"It really doesn't matter, most would probably get negative connotations from this costume anyways… We need you out of that costume and into something a bit more considera-" Tai didn't have time to finish as his daughter, and tonight's hostess Yang peeked out from the kitchen.

"Who was it, da- _MOM!_ What were you _thinking?!_ That's insensitive! Switch before Blake sees you!" Suddenly, Blake popped her head out of the dining room where she had been hard at work setting the table with Weiss, Ruby and their respective daughters and nieces.

"Before I see wha-Oh, hey Mrs. Branwen. Nice Brannagh costume. Although Yang and Mr. Xiao Long are right, you should probably switch before someone gets offended by mistake. Hold on, I think I have a good costume for you somewhere…"

* * *

One costume switch later, Raven strode into the kitchen to say hello to the rest of her extended family. She hugged Ruby who complimented her on her pumpkin juice recipe. She hugged Weiss, who candidly asked for her beef stew recipe. Lastly, she bent down to get cheerful hugs from her grandchildren, the six-year old Aurora and her big sister, eight-year old Stella.

"Hi granny! Nice witch costume! Did you make it yourself? It's beautiful." Raven smiled as she ruffled the golden hair between Aurora's two cat ears.

"I borrowed it from a friend. I forgot my handmade one at home." Aurora's ears drooped.

"Aww. Maybe next year then." Raven hugged her grandkids again.

"It's a promise." Suddenly Raven was pulled aside into a hug by one of her older, honorary grandchildren.

"Hello grandma, it's nice to see you again!"

"Nice to see you too, Cassandra."

"Thanks again for the advice on Jasper."

"Any time, sweetie." Cassandra glanced over at her older sister before leaning in towards Raven, whispering quietly.

"I know I'm fifteen and shouldn't get excited over 'childish' things, but I'm actually looking forward to the trick-or-treating walk you and aunt Yang have organised for later…"

"Happy to hear that. How about your sister?" Cassandra chuckled as she glanced at her sister again.

"Nothing seems to excite her much these days… except possibly the whole 'one year left until Beacon' prospect, of course."

"There's always that, yeah. I'm going to chat with her for a bit too, and we'll meet again after dinner for the trick-or-treat walk."

"Sounds great, grandma."

* * *

After a pleasant dinner (Ruby "accidentally" burped loudly at one point, eliciting giggles from her nieces and embarrassed groans from her eldest daughter) and some more socialising in the sitting room, the young Belladonna-Xiao Long sisters were eager to go on their promised trick-or-treat walk. As Yang walked towards the front door, she made sure to grab tightly around her teenaged nieces so she could be sure they would come with her.

"Now, now girls… you'll want some candy too, I'm sure…"

"Ugh. Fine. I'll come… Under _protest_." Bianca reluctantly reached for her assigned candy bucket.

So Yang, Raven and the four young set out into the night, Stella and Aurora excitedly running several metres in front of the rest of the group until they get called back for the umpteenth time by their caretakers.

"Oh, oh! We gotta go to Mr. Duff next! He always has these awesome candies!" Stella pointed off into the distance as she made her next attempt to run off in advance with her younger sister, whose blonde-furred cat ears bobbed up and down in sync with her excited (and probably sugar-fuelled, if Raven would guess) skipping in place, raring to go. But before either of them could make a beeline for the fork in the road, they were seized by their shoulders as Bianca knelt down to their level.

"Stay with the group please, we wouldn't want to have you get lost now, girls…" _Especially since this will be over more quickly if you guys don't run off all the time…_

After having visited Mr' Duff's cottage, Yang steered their way towards a "shortcut" back towards their house through the nearby woods. Raven couldn't help but think it adorable how the usually so peppy and forward Stella and Aurora had suddenly fallen back to her side, each gripping tightly around their grandmother's hands.

After a five minute walk, the eerie silence was broken by a loud cawing and the sounds of twigs snapping. Yang took a few steps forward from her position at the front of their little caravan.

"You guys stay here, I'm gonna check this out." Aurora stretched out a small hand towards her mother, her ears twitching and swivelling to detect any source of danger.

"Mommy, please don't go…" Yang turned on her heel and knelt down towards her youngest daughter.

"Mommy will be right back, okay? I'm just gonna look what that noise was. Can you be mommy's brave tiger and protect your sister and cousins?" Aurora's ears immediately perked up as she smiled. Yang kissed her on the forehead and disappeared into the night.

Silence.

A minute passed.

Still silent.

Suddenly the group saw something slowly approaching them in the distance. It was humanoid in shape, faintly glowing in the darkness, the pearlescent cloak billowing in the non-existent night breeze, hood obscuring the strangers face. Raven stepped in front of her grandchildren protectively.

"Hello, Sum. To what do we owe the pleasure?" The figure laughed, her voice reverbing hollowly as she spoke.

"I was feeling a bit lonely in the afterlife, thought I'd pop by… say hi to my grandkids and grandnieces…" The figure's head slowly turned towards Aurora and Stella, who retreated further behind Raven's skirts.

"They're so adorable… makes me sad I never got to meet them while I lived…" The ghost of Summer looked around, as if in contemplation.

"… at least I can take Yang back with me… such a shame Ruby didn't come with you guys too…"

"I can't allow you to do that, Sum. Yang's mine." Summer laughed, sending chills down everyone's backs.

"Oh please… I was more of a mother to Yang than you ever were."

"I guess you have a point there," Raven's voice hitched a bit as she spoke up.

"But that doesn't excuse taking her from me. I am trying to be a better mother now."

"I'm happy to hear that. How about a hug and kiss from the grandkids before I go?" the ghostly form of Summer got down on one knee as she lifted her hood. Underneath the hood was not what Raven expected. Once reddish hair was now but a few strands on top of a desiccated skull with maggots crawling in one of the empty eye sockets. Bianca screamed and reached for Aquilonis Miniscula, firing off several shots at the apparition of her grandmother that harmlessly passed right through her head.

"Now now, Bianca. That's hardly the way to show your granny respect. I was just joking, you know…" Summer pulled up her hood again as she rose to her "feet".

"I'll be seeing you tomorrow by my grave, Raven? Same time as last year?" Raven smiled back at her lost friend.

"Always and forever, Sum. Can we have Yang back now? We should get back home before it gets too late for these little lovelies." She gently put her hands on her youngest grandkids' heads.

"Of course. Farewell, my children…" Summer bowed and floated backwards into the darkness. A few moments later, Yang stumbled out on the dirt road some metres ahead.

"Whoa, you guys… should've seen this place I just was at.. I think…" She wobbled up to her family and supported herself against Raven.

"It looked like this _huge_ airship terminal, but everything was like, _super_ white and glowy…" Cassandra chuckled as she brought her big sister closer to Yang.

"You should've seen Bianca, aunt Yang! She totally freaked out and tried to shoot the ghost of Grandma Rose!" Yang smirked as she met the gaze of the embarrassed teen.

"Oh _really?_ Guess Halloween isn't so _lame_ after all…"

As they started on their way back home, Yang and Raven exchanged knowing smiles.

* * *

 **AN: Raven knows the ancient mythologies of Remnant, but doesn't care for star constellations? Way to miss out, lady.**

 **"** **Brannagh" is from the same root as "Branwen" – "Bran", meaning "Raven". "Brannagh" roughly translates as "beauty with hair as dark as a raven".**

 **Cassandra is the mother mentioned in** ** _Never Mess With Granny_** **, for those of you keeping track.**

 **"** **Duff" is derived from Gælic "dubh", meaning "dark".**

 **Bianca is acting so weird because she feels this is all beneath her. (And also because most often, your extended family will seem utterly embarrassing to you at that age.)**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


End file.
